Free State volleyball finishes season at the 6A state tournament in Salina

Free State volleyball returned to the 6A state tournament in Salina on Friday, and while the season ended there for the Firebirds, it was a season to celebrate.

The Firebirds missed the state tournament in 2024, but had a strong year in 2025 with 20 wins and a sixth-place finish in the Sunflower League. That included win streaks of five and four during the season.

Free State entered Salina as the No. 8 seed and competed in Pool I of the 6A state tournament. There, the Firebirds lost their three pool matches, bringing their season to an end.

The Firebirds started with Mill Valley on Friday morning and lost in two sets (25-20, 25-7). Against Washburn Rural, the Firebirds lost 25-16 in both sets. In their final match of the season, the Firebirds lost in three sets to Olathe West. The Owls won the first set 25-7, but the Firebirds bounced back to win the second set 25-15. The Owls came back to win the final set 25-13.

Free State will graduate seven seniors from the 12-player varsity roster. Taylor Stucker, Ella Roberts, Annika Lintecum, Kennedy Flachsbarth, Sydney Brozik, Meredith Claassen-Wilson and Ava Corbin will leave behind a team that set a standard for the Firebirds program.

Baldwin, Eudora crack top 5 in girls 4A cross-country state meet in Wamego

Baldwin’s girls cross-country team finished third in the state behind state champion Irelyn Kennedy, while Eudora’s girls team placed fourth.

Kennedy won the race with an 18-minute, 57.08-second run. She helped lead the Bulldogs to an 89 team score, behind Buhler and Wamego. Fellow Bulldog Shea Griffith finished seventh at 20:00.52, and Cheyenne Brunker placed 24th at 20:57.00.

Kami Moore ran for 29th at 21:09.49, and Rachel Watkins rounded out the team’s scoring five with a 22:36.82 run that put her 58th. Claire Watkins also ran, finishing in 22:47.46, and Britton Ediger was Baldwin’s seventh runner at 22:58.82.

The Cardinals scored 99 points in the girls race and were led by Emilia Mast, who finished in 20:37.56 for 18th individually. Emma Starber ran for 21st at 20:51.21, and Adelynn Mast placed right behind Starber for 22nd with a 20:53.68 time.

Camila Garcia finished 30th at 21:11.38, and Addison Williams took 47th at 21:58.61. Fiona Cahill didn’t finish in the team’s top five but placed 52nd overall with a 22:14.61 run.

Eudora’s boys team placed sixth overall with a 155 score. The Cardinals were led by Grayson Masterson, who took fifth at 16:43.88. Paul Jacobs finished 27th at 17:34.39, and Wyatt Johnson placed 44th at 18:08.86.

Caleb Reber finished 56th overall and fourth on the team with an 18:40.64 run. Max McCleary rounded out the team’s top five with an 18:51.09 time that was 67th.

JJ Hardwick and Will Banz both ran for Eudora, finishing in 19:24.76 and 19:25.63, respectively.

Baldwin sent one boy to the state meet, Landon Whaley, and he finished 51st at 18:29.64.

Free State, Lawrence send cross-country runners to 6A state meet at Rim Rock Farm

Local 6A and 4A schools competed in the final cross-country race of the season on Saturday for the state meet at Rim Rock Farm.

In the 6A race, Free State’s boys placed fifth, while the girls took sixth. The boys scored 150 points, only three behind the fourth-place Maize. Nicholas Johnson led the team with a 16 minute, 28.96 run for 14th overall. Jasper Hansen Terry finished 29th at 16:49.08, and Anderson Bateman placed 38th at 16:58.16.

Jonah Frye ran for 55th with a 17:13.48 time, and Isaac Horner rounded out the Firebirds’ scoring five with a 17:25.03 run that put him 67th individually. Caleb Yang’s run didn’t place him in the team score, but he finished the race in 17:49.06.

Free State’s girls scored 161 points, four behind fifth-place Mill Valley. Taylor Hulcher led the Firebirds with a 19:33.14 run that put her 14th overall. Nadia Karapuda finished 27th at 19:55.66, and Eloise Frye ran for 40th with a time of 20:10.83.

Beau Hulcher placed 48th at 20:26.88, and Addyson Tenbrink rounded out the team’s scoring five with a 20:57.17 run that placed her 61st. Grace Christline also ran in the meet and finished in 21:24.03, and Julia Velasco was Free State’s seventh runner in the meet, finishing in 22:05.82.

Lawrence sent one boy and one girl to the state meet. Oliver Schwartz took seventh individually with a 16:10.97 run. Andie Garrett placed 38th in the girls race with a 20:10.07 time.

Free State gymnast competes in final KSHSAA state meet

Harper Huston was Free State’s representative in the final KSHSAA state gymnastics meet, placing third in the all-around and in the bars.

Huston took third in the bars with an 8.975 score, but her highest score came in the floor routine, in which she earned a 9.550 score and placed fourth. With a 9.200 score on the vault, Huston finished third in the all-around with a total score of 36.925.

The event was the final time Huston or anyone will represent Free State in gymnastics with the team, and the sport at the KSHSAA level, ending.